Serverless Valkey
The Linux Foundation fork of Redis, with the same wire protocol and none of the licensing complications. Free tier, TLS by default, cloud or self-host.
Keys
- session:847STR
- user:1247HASH
- cart:1247LIST
- leaderboardZSET
Free tier
$0/mo, no credit card
Then flat
$5 or $15/mo, no meters
Encrypted
TLS on every plan
Layerbase Cloud
Managed, in seconds
Desktop and CLI
Run it locally or self-host
Serverless driver and queue
Edge-ready Valkey, with a queue built in
Valkey exposes the same Upstash-compatible REST endpoint as Redis, so the @upstash/redis client works from Cloudflare Workers and other runtimes that cannot open a raw TCP socket. Every Valkey database also carries vqueue, a built-in HTTP queue surface compatible with the @upstash/qstash client library: signed deliveries, scheduled delays, automatic retries, and a dead-letter queue you can inspect and re-enqueue from the dashboard. No separate signup, no separate billing.
How vqueue worksimport { Client } from '@upstash/qstash'
const queue = new Client({
baseUrl: process.env.VQUEUE_URL,
token: process.env.VQUEUE_TOKEN,
})Quick start
Connect with any Valkey client
New projects that want Redis semantics without the BSL/SSPL license restrictions; caches, queues, rate limiters, session stores, pub/sub.
- Replace upstream Redis in a project that needs a permissive license
- Cache layer in front of your primary database, redeployed across clouds without license review
- Edge-friendly key-value store accessed via the REST driver from Cloudflare Workers
- Per-tenant session storage that hibernates between bursts
- Background job queue or scheduled HTTP webhook delivery via the built-in vqueue surface (works with the `@upstash/qstash` client library, no extra provisioning)
- Self-host on your own hardware with the Layerbase CLI
redis-cli -u "rediss://default:password@your-host.cloud.layerbase.dev:6379" ping
Where to run it
Cloud, desktop, or self-host
One database, three places it can live. Pick the speed you want and move between them when you outgrow it.
Free Valkey hosting
What you actually get on the free Valkey tier
Valkey is the Linux Foundation fork of Redis: same wire protocol, same commands, BSD-3 license instead of source-available fine print. It runs on the Free plan at $0/mo with no card. This is what is included and what happens when it sits idle.
Free is $0/mo with no card
The Free plan covers 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections. Valkey is one of the engines you can create on it. There is no trial clock on the plan and no expiry date.
It sleeps after 15 minutes idle and wakes on connect
A free Valkey database hibernates after 15 minutes with no connections; paid plans wait 6 hours. Hibernation keeps the hostname, the port, and the data volume in place, so the next connection wakes it in roughly 1 to 5 seconds and your command then runs normally. Your client needs to send the TLS SNI hostname, which every Redis client does once you set the TLS servername.
Redis clients, an HTTP endpoint, and a queue
redis-cli, ioredis, redis-py, and the rest connect unchanged. The same database answers an Upstash-compatible REST endpoint for edge runtimes that cannot open a socket, and carries vqueue, a built-in HTTP queue surface compatible with the @upstash/qstash client library: signed deliveries, scheduled delays, automatic retries, and a dead-letter queue you can inspect and re-enqueue from the dashboard. No separate signup and no separate bill.
Forget about it and it archives, it does not vanish
A free database left hibernated for 14 days is archived (7 days if you never connected to it): its address is released and it takes an explicit Restore, roughly 10 to 30 seconds, to bring it back. Data and backups are kept. After 90 continuous days archived the live resources are reclaimed and the most recent backup is kept and still restorable in one click. Paid plans are never auto-archived.
No card on Free. Solo is $5/mo and Pro is $15/mo when you outgrow it.
FAQ
Common Valkey questions
What is Valkey?
Valkey is the Linux Foundation's BSD-licensed fork of Redis, started after Redis moved to a source-available license. It speaks the same wire protocol and the same commands, so redis-cli and standard Redis clients connect to it unchanged. Layerbase runs Valkey as a managed endpoint with TLS, a web key-value console, an Upstash-compatible REST endpoint, and the built-in vqueue HTTP queue surface.
Is Valkey a drop-in replacement for Redis?
Yes. Valkey forked from the last open-source Redis version and tracks the same wire protocol. redis-cli, ioredis, redis-py, and other Redis clients connect to Valkey without code changes.
Who maintains Valkey?
Valkey is a Linux Foundation project with maintainers from AWS, Google, Oracle, Ericsson, and others. Released under BSD-3-Clause so redistribution and commercial use are unrestricted.
When should I pick Valkey over Redis?
For new projects: Valkey is the safer long-term bet on licensing. For existing apps already running on a specific Redis version: stay with Redis. Both run on Layerbase Cloud, so you can change later.
Does the Upstash REST API work with Valkey?
Yes. Valkey supports the same Upstash REST API as Redis on Layerbase, useful for serverless and edge runtimes.
Is there a free Valkey tier on Layerbase?
Yes. Valkey is a Standard engine included on the Free plan at $0/mo with no card: 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, and up to 20 concurrent connections. A free Valkey sleeps after 15 minutes with no connections and wakes on the next connection in seconds; Solo at $5/mo and Pro at $15/mo raise the limits without adding a meter.
Can I run Valkey locally?
Yes. The Layerbase CLI and Layerbase Desktop both ship Valkey alongside Redis, with the same install-and-run workflow.
Do you support scheduled HTTP webhooks / a job queue on top of Valkey?
Yes, via vqueue. Every Layerbase Valkey database exposes a free, built-in HTTP queue surface compatible with the `@upstash/qstash` npm client library. Copy VQUEUE_URL, VQUEUE_TOKEN, and VQUEUE_CURRENT_SIGNING_KEY from the dashboard and pass them to `new Client({ baseUrl, token })` and `new Receiver({ currentSigningKey })` in your app. Deliveries are signed and support scheduled delays; failed deliveries are retried automatically and land in a DLQ you can inspect and re-enqueue from the dashboard. No separate signup, no separate billing.
Branch Valkey in seconds
Fork a running Valkey into a full, isolated copy with its own connection string. Copy-on-write makes it near-instant, not a dump and restore. Point a preview deploy at it, test a migration, then throw it away. Layerbase branches 16 engines, not just Postgres.
See how branching worksWhat you get
Everything a Valkey database should ship with
The same primitives on every Valkey database: TLS, web console, hibernation, and a real dashboard. The rows that need a paid plan say so on the row; nothing here is hidden behind a sales call.
Web IDE
Query console in the dashboard, no extra client to install.
TLS by default
All connections encrypted. No setup required.
Always-on connections
Pin a database to your plan's always-on pool so it never hibernates. Free has no pool, so a free database always sleeps when idle; Solo includes 768 MB of pool and Pro 1.5 GB.
Scale to zero
Hibernates when idle. Wakes on the next connection.
Connection pooling
Pooled endpoint for serverless and edge workloads.
Direct connections
Bypass the pooler for migrations and replication.
Native HTTPS endpoint
Engines whose own wire protocol speaks HTTPS. Every database, including this one, is also queryable over the platform's HTTPS query API and web console.
Serverless driver
Drop-in HTTP driver for edge runtimes (Neon serverless, PlanetScale, Upstash REST, or the engine-native client).
IP whitelisting
Restrict access to specific IPs or CIDR ranges.
Automatic backups
Scheduled dumps and volume snapshots with one-click restore on paid plans. Free includes 1 manual backup slot you take and restore yourself.
What it costs
What Valkey costs on Layerbase
Plans are flat. There is no per-hour compute meter, no per-database line item, and no ingress or egress fee, so the bill does not change shape when your traffic does. You do not need an AWS, GCP, or Azure account either: Layerbase runs the infrastructure.
Scale to zero when idle. No credit card.
The database you pin never sleeps.
Every engine, plus a bigger always-on pool.
Side by side
Hosted Valkey, compared
| Provider | Free tier | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Upstash | 256 MB and 500K commands per month | $0.20 per 100K commands after the free allowance, plus $0.25 per GB stored |
| Redis Cloud | 30 MB | Essentials from $5/mo once you pass the 30 MB free database |
| Layerbase | Valkey on the Free tier with 5 GB of account storage | $0, $5, or $15/mo flat. No per-command meters. |
Upstash
- Free tier
- 256 MB and 500K commands per month
- Billing
- $0.20 per 100K commands after the free allowance, plus $0.25 per GB stored
Redis Cloud
- Free tier
- 30 MB
- Billing
- Essentials from $5/mo once you pass the 30 MB free database
Layerbase
- Free tier
- Valkey on the Free tier with 5 GB of account storage
- Billing
- $0, $5, or $15/mo flat. No per-command meters.
Competitor facts verified September 7, 2026 against each vendor's own pricing and documentation pages: Upstash, Redis Cloud.
Already have data? Migrate it from Replit, Upstash, Vercel KV, and more Any connection string works too.
Sibling engine
Need the upstream Redis version specifically?
If your app or third-party tool requires a specific Redis upstream feature or version, Layerbase also runs an OSS-licensed Redis version unchanged. Most apps work on either.
More on Valkey
All articles- September 15, 2026
Upstash vs Redis Cloud in 2026
Upstash prices Redis per command and reaches it over HTTP. Redis Cloud prices it by memory and sells the query engine, JSON, and Active-Active on top. A 2026 comparison of the billing models, the free tiers, the connection limits, and what a small always-on app and a bursty serverless app actually cost on each.
Read - September 5, 2026
Redis Cloud alternatives: pay for the modules, or stop paying for them
Redis Cloud prices itself around the module story: search, JSON, time series, vector sets, Active-Active. If you use those, the bill is buying something real. If you use Redis as a cache, a session store, or a queue, you are paying the module premium for a key-value store. Here is what each tier buys, where a flat plan fits, and when to stay.
Read - September 1, 2026
Build the Redis backend for a WhatsApp bot
Conversation state with TTLs, BullMQ queues for scheduled reminders, idempotency keys for retried webhooks, and per-recipient rate limits, all on one Redis-compatible Valkey.
Read - August 31, 2026
Upstash alternatives: keep the client, change the URL
Upstash bills Redis per command, which is brilliant for a tiny app and a meter for everything else. Every Redis and Valkey on Layerbase exposes the same REST API the @upstash/redis client speaks, and every Valkey carries a QStash-compatible queue. Here is the arithmetic, the code that does not change, and when Upstash is still the right call.
Read - August 30, 2026
Migrating from Heroku Postgres to Layerbase
A step-by-step move of Heroku Postgres, and the Key-Value Store add-on, onto managed Layerbase databases. What comes across, what does not, why you must read DATABASE_URL fresh, and how to cut over without stopping your dynos.
Read
Upstream project
Valkey is developed by the Linux Foundation. Layerbase packages and hosts official releases; the engine itself is built upstream.